“Yeah, a little bit of everything,” exclaimed the man with the blueprint, Aaron Boone, after another Yankees loss on Monday against the Angels. Just a few weeks back, they were dominating and looking great for the October glory, but suddenly there’s a flip. While they are sitting comfortably at the top of the table (42-30), they are also maintaining a losing streak. Five consecutive losses! And the apparent reasons are summed up by this WFAN host.
First, the sweep against the Red Sox, and now on Monday, against the Los Angeles Angels – the roar of the Bleacher Creatures was heard as a collective grimace. Everything was under control, but in the top of the 11th inning, the Angels broke the tie. It was Nolan Schanuel. He solved the problem with an RBI double down the left field line, and there it was. A 1–0 win. And who solved the problem for the Yankees? Apparently, no one!
A slump no one saw coming. There’s frustration in the Bronx, and the Yankees are facing harsh criticism. Recently, on WFAN Sports radio, Evan Roberts pointed out precisely what the issue is. “The Yankees’ small-ball struggles are a big part of why they’ve come up short in extra-inning games.”
Well, small-ball emphasizes advancing runners one base at a time through bunts, sacrifice flies, walks, and situational hitting instead of aiming for home runs. And the data there for the Pinstripes is shocking! In eight extra-inning games this season, the team has hit just .077 (2-for-26), failing to execute bunts or timely walks, resulting in outs.
Evan says the Yankees’ small-ball struggles are a big part of why they’ve come up short in extra-inning games.
Listen to his biggest issues with last night’s loss: https://t.co/OV8c98EMyh pic.twitter.com/JpWRNG9745
— WFAN Sports Radio (@WFAN660) June 17, 2025
Roberts also added, “Don’t tell me Jazz Chisholm can’t bunt. Quite frankly, you’re not good enough to be a non‑bunter.” He was not very happy with how Chisholm was performing. In the same game, Chisholm came to the plate in the ninth inning. He didn’t try to bunt; instead, he swung and missed. Even though there was an automatic runner on second and no outs, which is when small-ball strategy is needed. Clearly, their offensive strategy is lacking.
Chisholm is hitting only .222 with 9 home runs and 24 RBIs – a significant decline from what was expected. Chisholm’s failure to bunt or move a runner shows how the Yankees are playing poorly under pressure. And it’s not only Chisholm who is not performing well. It’s almost the whole team. Even Aaron Judge! Looking at his previous 20 at-bats, he only had two hits. Yes, it’s surprising!
And with Angels, they had the bases loaded and no outs in the bottom of the 11th inning, but they couldn’t score. Even though Clarke Schmidt pitched a great 7 2/3-inning shutout and set a personal record for scoreless innings at 18 1/3, the offense was quiet. They had a runner on second with no outs four times but couldn’t score a single run.
But the Yankees seem even more terrible. They need to fix their offensive strategies soon if they don’t want another sweep.
Yankees go cold, 4–0 loss to Angels
And the losing streak continues. On Tuesday, the Yankees lost 4–0. Angels starter Kyle Hendricks and three relievers allowed just four hits. Hendricks struck out nine batters in six innings, showcasing the Angels’ best performance since 2022. On the contrary, Pinstripes only got three hitters to second base and went 0-for-10 with runners on base. Another failure on offense. Did they try anything new?
Aaron Boone changed the order by putting Jasson Dominguez at the top and moving Paul Goldschmidt down. However, the change didn’t help much. Aaron Judge, the team’s best hitter, went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts, bringing his average down to .372. And the Bleacher Creatures are losing it. He got booed after missing two more pitches in the sixth and eighth innings.
The Yankees haven’t scored in 29 straight innings, which is their longest scoreless streak since late September 2016. This is also their third game in a row without a score.
Despite rookie Will Warren’s career-high 11 strikeouts in six innings, his defense failed on crucial plays, resulting in the loss. A misplayed grounder in the second inning led to Luis Rengifo’s RBI single. Then, in the third inning, a one-out hopper hit Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s glove and bounced off, giving Taylor Ward a two-run single.
Despite their ace player joining, there’s no sign of improvement. After missing 70 games with elbow tendinitis, Giancarlo Stanton returned with a 2-for-4 line and another multi-hit effort. Even though one of their best bats returned, the offense remains cold.
Though they lead the AL in runs and homers, these losses don’t look good. And right now, all we can hope for is a U-turn in their strategy.
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